Little brown bat, Myotis lucifugus
Yuma bat, Myotis yumanensis
Long-eared bat, Myotis evotis
Fringed bat, Myotis thysanodes
Long-legged bat, Myotis volans
California bat, Myotis californicus
"Maser's book describes the land mammals of Oregon that live from the High
Cascades [Cascade Mountains] westward, but it also applies to those same
species living in similar parts of California, Washington, and British
Columbia. … Nowhere else, to this reviewer's knowledge, can one find so
much natural history information about so many mammals of the Pacific Northwest,
and it is their natural history that makes the mammals functional parts of
their ecosystems. The importance of habitat and its connectivity is strongly
supported, and rightly so. This work will probably find most use as a supplement
to a field guide, or to a more technical book...."
A. S. Mossman, emeritus
Humboldt State University
Arcata, California,
July/August 1999 issue of Choice
"Mammals of the Pacific Northwest is as much a personal journey as it is a natural history of mammals of the region. Most vertebrate ecologists of
Maser's generation grew up as kids fascinated by the animals around them;
they crawled through bushes, waded in marshes, and caught everything that
came within reach. Few have remained naturalists because science, even vertebrate
science, has rapidly moved in the direction of rigorous hypothesis testing,
experimental design, and high powered statistical analysis. There seems to
be little place for naturalists in this new climate, and that is our loss.
Pacific shrew
"Few people, scientists or otherwise, have had as extensive and intensive studies and personal interactions with as many mammalian species as Maser.
For that reason alone, the book is a treasure trove of fact, observation,
and supposition, from the diets of bats to observations of personality
differences among individual shrews. In this book, Maser presents a lifetime
of observations from a distance to up-close and personal. As Maser himself
says in the introduction: 'I have now spent over thirty years in a consummate
love affair with science—mostly studying mammals in the wild.... I
have over many years learned to know them.' Indeed he has.
"Mammals of the Pacific Northwest is not a field guide, and it doesn't pretend to be one, although most of the information found in field guides is present
in this book as well. It is a taxonomically arranged natural history of these
animals, interspersed with some delightfully poignant and occasionally hilarious
remembrances of particular individual mammals or events, and as such is
remarkably readable. Because it is written from the naturalist's perspective,
this is the book that the serious student of mammals should read before going
out in the field to observe, trap, or study mammals. To borrow from current
vernacular, this book helps one to 'get inside' an animal's head, an ability
often lacking in current generations that haven't had the luxury of many
years of patient first-hand observation.
"Maser's objective was to reach a general audience, and to share his life-long love affair with Pacific Northwest mammals both by presenting his vast storehouse of life history knowledge and by telling interesting (if not endearing) stories of individual animals he has known. I think he has succeeded. Readers will get an enhanced view of what otherwise would be a series of entries in a
field guide; I believe this was Maser's intent. As a professional ecologist, this would be the first source I would want to read if I wanted to learn more about a mammal I planned to study."
Bruce E. Coblentz
Department of Fisheries and Wildlife
Oregon State University
Corvallis, OR Northwest Science 73:140-141 (1999)
"While legislators were busy in Olympia [Washington] trying to dismantle I-655, the citizens' initiative that prevents bear baiting and sport hunting
of cougar with hounds, I cast my lot with the animals and curled up with
'Mammals of the Pacific Northwest.' This engaging new compendium, the result
of 25 years of fieldwork by Corvallis research scientist Chris Maser, covers
the natural histories of scores of creatures in our region.
Gray-tailed meadow mouse
"This is not some dry field guide. Maser is not only a scientist but a first-rate raconteur, and he combines good, solid scientific data regarding any given animal's biological development, diet, habitat, and so on, with intriguing firsthand observations on behavior. After a lifetime of doing whatever it takes to study his subjects—whether climbing trees, hunkering down in the bushes, or crawling along on all fours—Maser has collected a passel of interesting experiences.
"Some of the scenarios even have included his own unwitting participation: There was the time he and his raccoon companion committed a faux pas at his mother's bridge party, for example, or the time he crashed a deer 'kegger.' And then there was the unforgettable evening when he slept—inadvertently—with a skunk.
"The text is sprinkled generously with black and white photos, [from] which ... you will learn more than you ever could have imagined about the characteristics of various animal droppings...."
Barbara Lloyd McMichael
Bookmonger Tacoma [Washington] News Tribune
February 28, 1999
"On an elk-hunting trip up Hells Canyon years ago, the weather was far too warm to drive elk from the distant rim.
"We'd been dropped for a week by a jet boat, essentially trapping us with nothing to do nearly 3,000 feet below the elk herds.
"So desperate were we for distraction that we seized the opportunity for challenge the night a mouse munched Skeeter's candy bar.
"The late 'Skeeter' Dykstra was a longtime hunting partner with diabetes, which ultimately took his life. Candy bars were a night-time snack to stabilize his condition.
"When we were awakened by the loud 'thwack' of a stick that Skeeter swung at the mouse (and missed), it was the start of a memorable contest to see who could trap the most rodents around camp in the name of saving Skeeter's midnight rations.
"Years later, as I became more environmentally conscious, it occurred to me we'd interrupted the order of life in and around that small clearing on the banks of the Snake River.
"How much, though, became clear only recently when I read a new and valuable reference book: 'Mammals of the Pacific Northwest, From the Coast to the High Cascades,' by Chris Maser....
"Maser's compelling, well-written and easily understood scientific tome details behaviors and life patterns of animals found in four separate Western Oregon zones.
"True, the 60-year-old naturalist doesn't discuss the mice we trapped in the canyon more than two decades ago. But his description of Western Oregon mammals suggest natural cycles we might have inadvertently altered.
"Mice, of course, are important prey, especially at the outset of winter, for raptors trying to keep from starving and young carnivorous mammals learning to hunt.
"But their burrows also affect surrounding vegetation, and their feces carry and spread seeds.
"I'd have been laughed out of camp at the time, but perhaps it would have been better for Skeeter to simply store his snacks in a nibble-proof container and leave the industrious mice alone.
"Maser punctuates his book with anecdotes from decades of close study of the animals he writes about. They are exhilarating escapes from the scientific explanations.
"In the end, Maser contends in a conveniently brief and effective lecture that humans must do more to recognize the connectivity of the natural world.
"'The decision about the quality of habitat in Western Oregon belongs to us, of course, the adults of the world,' he concludes. 'But the consequences of our decisions we irrevocably bequeath to those generations we call 'the future.'"
Bill Monroe The Oregonian
December, 31, 1998
"When reading through the species accounts in the book,
it is apparent that Maser has spent years making careful observations
of many of these animals. He is a research scientist in ecology and natural
history, and his writing reveals an obvious connection to his subject. Although
the book is not filled with rigorous scientific fact, with his many personal
observations he gives the reader real insight into the lives of the animals.
It is evident that nature had an early impact on Maser and probably inspired his
life's work at a young age.
"The book is quite readable and informative, and is not merely a description of the natural history and biology of the animals it represents, but an
insight into Chris Maser's years as a scientist and naturalist.... If you
are someone who likes to curl up in a chair with a good book, then
buy Maser's book."
Alison Keple
Marine Mammal Research Unit
Department of Zoology
University of British Columbia
Vancouver, B.C., Canada Discovery, Summer 2000
While a graduate student, I helped with a study on snowshoe hares.
"The classic Peterson field guides Mammals and Animal Tracks are excellent references and cover all of North America. But for a much more intimate look into most of our mammals, try Mammals of the Pacific Northwest by Oregon biologist Chris Maser. ...there are in-depth accounts ... from bats to bobcats. Not a hollow, glossy coffee table book, this has extensive details of how these critters live, eat, procreate and die, making it an excellent reference for amateur naturalists and anyone who loves wild mammals. Amusing anecdotes (like drunken deer or 'Mighty Shrew') help lighten the tone."
Bryan Nichols WaveLength Paddling Magazine
"If you live in the Pacific Northwest and want to identify the wild mammals you see, this book is very helpful. However, there is a lot more to the book than just good descriptions of mammals. Stories about each creature bring to life the animals you may never encounter. Chris Maser is clearly fond of his subjects and tries hard to help the reader get a feel for their lives. It is fun to just open this book at random and read a few pages about vole or bat you never knew existed. I have several mammal identification books. This is the best one."
From: Amazon.com
"This remarkable book offers an intimate look at the life histories and habitats of mammals in the Pacific Northwest. In introducing the region's mammals, Chris Maser combines current scientific knowledge with personal accounts and anecdotes drawn from over a quarter century of fieldwork in Oregon. For each species of mammal, the book provides a physical description and detailed information on distribution, habitat, and behavior, and it is illustrated with over 100 photographs of mammals and their tracks, dens, nests, and young."
King County Lake Stewardship Program
Department of Natural Resources and Parks
Water and Land Resources Division
Seattle, WA
Mantled ground squirrel
"I wish this book had more photos of the animals, because it is otherwise really fine. Don't let the amount of text put you off, there is interesting and readable information here for the amateur naturalist. Food, footprints, droppings, nests. Hard to say no to this one."
Oregon Library Association
"This is a great source of information about habits and habitats of many of the mammals found in the Pacific Northwest. Very readable style, with up-to-date information. Chris Maser is a biologist who has written many Forest Service reports on northwest fauna, so is a very credible source and draws much on his own field experience in this book."
Mark D. Jordahl
Conservation Education
If you're in the Pacific Northwest, Chris Maser's book, Mammals of the Pacific Northwest gives excellent info on the mammals of the region (several pages on each), including regionally-specific habits, food preferences, good sign-tracking info, interesting personal stories, etc....
Jason Knight
Tracking & Mammals Moderator
Wilderness Awareness School
